Coping Strategies Adopted by Nurses and Midwives to Mitigate the Impact of Occupational Stress in the Catholic Health Service of the Western Region of Ghana
Abstract:
This study
investigated the type of coping strategies nurses and midwives in the Catholic Health
Service of the Western Region of Ghana adopted to mitigate the effects of occupational
stress. The study also looked at the association between occupational stress and
coping strategies among nurses and midwives. A quantitative research approach was
adopted for the study. Specifically, the study adopted a descriptive cross-sectional
survey. A sample size of 300 was used for the study. A questionnaire based on the
Coping Strategies Inventory developed by Tobin, Holroyd, Reynolds, and Wigal was
adopted. The short form of the inventory was used. For statistical purposes, One-Sample
Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, mean and standard deviation, and Pearson Moment Correlation
Coefficients were employed to analyze the data gathered. The results of the study
revealed that nurses and midwives in the Catholic Health Service of the Western
Region adopted both emotion-focused and problem-focused coping strategies but predominantly
problem-focused coping strategies to mitigate the effects of occupational stress.
The study’s results also revealed that occupational stress has a weak positive significant
relationship with coping strategies between nurses and midwives in the Catholic
Health Service of the Western Region of Ghana. The study recommended that nurses
and midwives be trained on the appropriate types of coping strategies to deal with
occupational stress. It was also recommended that nurses and midwives be trained
on stress management strategies.
Keywords: Coping Strategies, Occupational
Stress, Stress.
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